Dordogne Valley: Between the Dordogne and Lot Rivers

Day 1: Arrival in Dordogne

However you decide to travel, arrive in the Dordogne at Les Eyzies on Saturday evening. You'll stay at Le Moulin de la Beune, one of the highlights of the tour programme. This delightful hotel sits on the banks of the River Beune, just upstream from where the Beune joins the Vézère.

Les Eyzies is a small village of 900 people, but it styles itself as the 'Capital of Prehistory', and with some justification. As well as the National Museum of Prehistory, Les Eyzies boasts the settlement of Cro Magnon, where the first example of homosapiens, or 'thinking man', was discovered. Nearby is one of the oldest sculptures in the world, a 20,000 year-old fish at the Abri de Poisson, and the Font de Gaume, site of some of the most important cave paintings in the world.

Anyone who has time should consider a visit to the National Museum of Prehistory. It's rare that a 'national' musuem in France is not based in Paris, which is a clue about the importance of Les Eyzies in the world of pre-history. The museum is well worth it.

Overnight in Les Eyzies.

Day 2: Beynac
35 miles/56 km

Time to get on your bike! Today, you'll follow the Vézère to Limeuil, where it meets the Dordogne. Limeuil is a beautiful bastide town, and the area where the rivers meet is a great place for a swim.

Just before you reach Limeuil, you'll encounter little St. Martin's Chapel. Perhaps you're familiar with the story of King Henry II, the English king who carelessly asked some of his knights, when referring to the famous cleric Thomas Becket, "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" The knights followed his orders, and Henry was villified for Becket's death. To atone, he built 3 churches, including the tiny St. Martin's Chapel in Limeuil.

In the afternoon, you'll follow the Dordogne along quiet roads, passing the Châteaux of Beynac and Castelnaud, which face each other across the Dordogne, as well as the Château des Milandes, home of Josephine Baker. Baker was an extraordinary woman, as you'll discover - cabaret artiste, wartime spy for Charles de Gaulle, and the only woman to speak alongside Martin Luther King on the day of his famous 'I Have A Dream' speech.

You'll finish the day at Beynac, a picturesque village beside the Dordogne dominated by its castle set on a cliff 500 feet above. The castle was once the seat of a certain Richard the Lionheart and is well worth a look. You can reach it by an absurdly steep path called the Basketmakers path - but not very quickly!

At the Hostellerie Maleville you can meet the Maleville family. The food here is very traditional - a superb introduction to Dordogne cuisine - and Pascal is the 6th generation of Malevilles to run the hotel.

Overnight in Beynac.

Day 3: Beynac – Calès
30 miles/48 km

You'll start by retracing your steps to the Castle of Castelnaud, which houses a museum of medieval warfare. Castelnaud and Beynac were always in opposition to each other, and although both belonged to both the French and the English at different times, they were never on the same side!

Today you'll pass La Roque Gageac, an amazing town built into the side of a cliff beside the Dordogne, originally built as a prehistoric fort. You'll also get your first shot at a decent hill on the way up to Domme. Domme sits 450 feet above the Dordogne and has famous panoramic views of the river. Known as the 'Acropolis of the Périgord', Domme was a key battleground in both the Hundred Years War and the Wars of Religion, and was used to imprison the Knights Templar in the 14th century. It is still surrounded by a medieval wall, and is one of the best preserved of all the bastide towns. On top of all this is the site of some interesting limestone caves.

From Domme to Payrac, you'll go cross-country on tiny roads and see barely a soul. You'll pass Domme-Sarlat Airport, but don't bank on seeing any airplanes - they're few and far between!

Today is the hardest day of the week. The swimming pool and sauna at Calès are welcome and well-deserved. By now, you are in the middle of the limestone causse, away from other tourists, and you will wonder how on earth a chef of the caliber of Olivier Loeuillet ended up in a hotel in this tiny village. Possibly the best food on any night of ANY of our tours, not just the Dordogne!

Overnight in Calès.

Day 4: Rocamadour and the Gouffre de Padirac
27 miles/44 km

As you leave Calés this morning, down a simply breathtaking descent, notice how the landscape has changed from the lush farmland of yesterday to the arid limestone causses on the way to Rocamadour. At the base of the first descent is the ancient fortified mill of Cougnaguet. This enchanting pocket of French history gives a fascinating insight into the lawlessness of this region during the 13th century.

Leaving the mill, you can head across country on the old pilgrim’s way into Rocamadour, one of the most spectacular towns in France, clinging to the side of a cliff hundreds of feet above the Alzou Gorge. The town developed around the site of a 13th-century hermitage. Michelin gave Rocamadour 3*** - worth a journey in itself - and it is unforgettable.

The afternoon is easier than this morning's climb, but you can make up for this if you choose to use the stairs rather than the elevator when you visit the Gouffre de Padirac, a massive cavern leading to an underground river with spectacular stalactite and stalagmite formations. The underground journey, including a boat trip along the river, will last around an hour and you should ensure you have something warm to wear.

By the time you emerge from the cave, it's usually late afternoon, and a 5-mile cycle ride brings you to the Relais de Castelnau in Loubressac. You're on the edge of the plateau here, looking right across the Dordogne Valley from the lovely terrace.

Overnight in Loubressac.

Day 5: Loubressac – Gluges
28 miles/45 km

There's an excellent downhill cycle ride into the village of Autoire, and on the way there, you should certainly stop at the overlook and admire the superb Cirque d’Autoire, a limestone horse-shoe dominating the valley. From Autoire, you'll head across country into St. Céré where, two Wednesdays each month, there is a great food market - excellent for picnic fodder. Out of St. Céré, you'll pass the huge and ruined castle at Castelnau and arrive back at the Dordogne. You'll follow the Dordogne downstream to Carennac, rated by some as the most beautiful village on the Dordogne, and a great place for a picnic.

After Carennac, the road twists and turns as it follows the Dordogne. You'll cross the river a couple of times and pass the spot where the underground river from the Gouffre de Padirac enters the Dordogne. You'll pass several minor châteaux on your way to Gluges, where the pool catches the late afternoon sun and offers a perfect end to the day. Although you'll cycle more than 30 miles today, it is the easiest 30 miles you're ever likely to ride, and you’re not too far from a beer at journey’s end!

Overnight in Gluges.

Day 6: Gluges – Sarlat-la-Caneda
36 miles/57 km

This stretch of the Dordogne cuts right through the limestone causses, offering spectacular gorges and cliffs. Your route criss-crosses the river using backroads to avoid some challenging hills, but nearly everybody misses the first stretch altogether, opting to canoe downstream to Pinsac. This stretch of the river is home to kingfishers and herons.

After lunch, you'll follow tiny backroads from Souillac to Sarlat-la-Caneda, entering the town on a cycle path built on a disused railway. One look at the traffic queues in Sarlat will make you very happy you cycled here!

Tonight, you'll stroll into the labyrinthine old town to Aux Trois Sens for a meal that, on its best day, almost rivals Monday’s dinner in Calés. You can judge for yourselves!

Overnight in Sarlat-la-Caneda.

Day 7: Sarlat – Les Eyzies
22 miles/35 km

This is the last day of your cycling holiday, and there are a few hills. Once you leave Sarlat, you'll turn onto tiny country roads that lead to the hilltop town of Marquay, offering beautiful views across the Vézère and Beune valleys.

Descending into the Vézère, you've arrived back in prehistoric territory. You'll pass the Abri de Cap Blanc, with its sculptures, on the way to the amazing prehistoric fort at La Roque St. Christophe. This village was carved out of overhanging galleries in a 900-meter limestone cliff. It was continuously inhabited from 50,000 BC until the 16th century, at which point it was destroyed by the English.

There are records of the settlement in Roman accounts - although they never managed to capture it - and also in a 16th-century government record in Paris, where details of the fireplaces were kept to levy 'hearth taxes'. This place is incredible - perhaps the most amazing site of the week. You can identify the church, rings cut in the roofs to hang food, and even safes and water stores.

Les Eyzies is another 6 miles, and you'll have the chance to visit the National Prehistory Museum to round off a real day of prehistoric discovery.

Sadly, this is the end of your cycling holiday in the Dordogne, and you'll have definitely earned a beer or several sat at Le Moulin de la Beune on the banks of the Beune.

Overnight in Les Eyzies.

Day 8: Departure